This book looks back on thirty-five years of microwave (MW)chemistry and explains how the
application of the MW technique became anintegral part of R&D eventually becoming recognized
in industry. Further it details how MW chemistry has undergone a dynamic development in the
pastthree decades one driven by the advent of increasingly sophisticatedprofessional MW
reactors in place of the kitchen MW ovens used in earlieryears. A major part of the book shows
how substitutions esterifications amidations hydrolyses alkylations eliminations
dehydrations condensations cyclizations C-C couplings and the modification of heterocycles
can beperformed advantageously under MW irradiation as the reaction times areshorter while
the selectivity and yields are higher it also explains why inmost cases the reactions can be
performed under solvent-free conditions. MWirradiation within the sphere of organophosphorus
chemistry is showcased andtypical reactions such as the direct derivatization of phosphinic
acids alkylating esterifications Diels-Alder reactions the inverse Wittig-typereaction
fragmentations the Arbuzov reaction the synthesis of -hydroxyphosphonates and
-aminophosphonates (the Kabachnik-Fieldscondensation) deoxygenations and P-C coupling
reactions are described under MWconditions. In closing the advantages of MW chemistry such as
faster reactionsand the possibility of simplifying the catalytic systems are addressed.
